New Iberia Woman Perishes after Fire Rips Through Her Home

The number of people dying in house fires in Louisiana continues to rise.

Officials with the Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office say that a New Iberia woman is dead after a fire ripped through the recreational vehicle she was living in. The r.v. was in the 3800 block of Melancon Road.

According to department officials, neighbors saw the fire, and they tried to alert the woman. Their efforts were for naught, as she did not hear them. The fire consumed the entire recreational vehicle.

As investigators began working the scene, they found several situations that were dangerous. The victim had been using an older model space heater which they say was too close to the bedding where the woman was laying down.

The other dangerous situation they encountered was that the woman was powering the space heater by plugging it into an extension cord which was then plugged into a power strip. The State Fire Marshal's Office adds that every outlet on the power strip was being used.

An exact cause of the blaze has yet to be released, and the investigation continues.

This was not the only deadly fire this Saturday in the state. KPEL detailed the information about a man from Bastrop who died in a house fire Saturday.

State Fire Marshal Butch Browning had this to say about two deadly fires happening this weekend,

We have said time and time again that a drop in temperatures inevitably leads to a rise in fatal home fires in Louisiana which is why we have been beating the drum about safe home heating practices. We have got to see the public care more about their safety inside of their homes to stop this terrible trend.

He offers several tips to keep yourself and your family safe:

• Everyone needs at least one working smoke detector in their home.
• When using a space heater, it needs to be at least three to five feet away from anything flammable.
• Don't ever use your stove or oven to heat your home.
• Don't live candles, any open flames, or space heaters unattended.
• Never overfill fireplaces/wood-burning stoves.
• Heating appliances need to be directly plugged into wall outlets, never use extension cords or power strips.